Friskit Claims Patent Infringement Against RealNetworks

(free registration required): Friskit, a cool multi-media search and streaming tool which I have been using for almost three years now, is suing RealNetworks and its subsidiary Listen.com for patent infringement, claiming to hold fundamental patents over the technology for streaming digital media through the Internet.

The lawsuit focuses on three patents held by Friskit that cover searching for multiple pieces of music online, finding them and playing them in an uninterrupted sequence.

According to another story in the Seattle Times, Friskit is checking to see if other online subscription services, such as the labels-backed MusicNet and pressplay, have infringed its patents. In the meantime, the company is hoping to cut some licensing deals.